WCBT is the UK's No1 International Pro Am Event. Also hosted in USA & Spain
WORLD CLUB BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT CANTERBURY 2025 REPORT
WCBT2025 POST EVENT REPORT
World Club Basketball Tournament Successfully Hosted in Canterbury Kent.
Canterbury Christchurch University in Kent, was the host to some excellent international basketball action over the weekend of the 13th& 14th September, when 9th World Club Basketball Tournament (WCBT) was hosted on the city for the first time since its inception in 2015.
After being hosted in Hastings, East Sussex for the previous 8 years, the prestigious award-winning tournament moved to Canterbury with the objective of raising the profile of basketball in the area, in addition to raising funds and awareness for their dedicated charity Kidney Research UK.
Competing Teams
The teams competing at WCBT2025 were the returning New York Court Kings & USAF Lakenheath Lightening of the USA, Labas BC & Viesulas (Lithuania) along with 94FT Basketball, UK Police Basketball Team, and two teams from former NBA San Antonio Draft player Richards Elite (White) & Richards Elite (Black) all representing the UK.
The 8 teams were split into two groups of with the top two teams in each group progressing to the ‘A’ Semi Finals and the remaining 3 teams going forward to compete in the ‘B’ Finals Playoffs.
The Groups were randomly selected as follows.
Group A: New York Court Kings, Labas, 94FT & Richards Elite (White)
Group B: Viesulas, UK Police, Richards Elite (Black) & USAF Lakenheath Lightening.
Group Matches
After an exciting and tense round of group matches in front a hall with packed spectators, Labas progressed to the ‘A’ Semi Finals as group winners with Richards Elite (White) in second place, with the best records from their matches with 2 wins & 1 loss in their 3 matches. New York Court Kings also finished with a 2-1 record but were relegated to 3rd place based on their inferior point differential. ‘94ft’ finished in last place with a 0-3 record with both of these teams going onto compete in the ‘B’ semi-final.
The second results in Group ‘B’ would see Viesulas who topped Group ‘B’ with an unbeaten 3-0 record be joined by USAF Lakenheath Lightening who finished runners up with a 2-1 record setting up the LABAS BC v USAF Lakenheath then Richards Elite (White) v Viesulas ‘A’ semi-finals.
With the New York Kings unexpected losing out on a two spot in their group, this would see them compete against Richards Elite (Black) in the ‘B’ semi final , they would be joined by UK Police Basketball v Richards Elite (Black) in the second ‘B’ semi-final. All of the semi-final and final matches would be played on day 2 of the tournament.
Day 2 Playoffs & Finals based organisation.
Before the Day 2 action was underway, the New York Court Kings once again hosted their youth coaching session which was attended by over 40 local youngsters, who received the unique experience of being coached by the overseas players and coaches . The attendees were put through a selection of fun drills and competitions and were given prizes and gifts from the New York team.
The coaching session was also attended by the Lord Mayor of Canterbury Keji Moses, who spoke to some of the attendees and was presented with a bouquet of flowers from the WCBT committee. The Lord Mayor even took part in the fun trying her luck at scoring a few hoops.
A Semi Finals
The first ‘A’ semi-final would see the Labas BC face off against the impressive USAF Lakenheath Lightening, to see which team would progress to the final. Both teams traded baskets in a close fought exciting match, until the final minutes when USAF Lakenheath Lightening scored 7 unanswered points to take a narrow 44-41 victory, with Labas missing a last second 3 point shot to take the match into overtime.
The second ‘A’ semi-final saw the experienced Lithuanian team Viesulas come up against the young but exciting Richards Elite (White) team who were competing at WCBT as an organisation for the first time, following their organisation senior team’s entrance in the world-famous TBT in Kentucky USA earlier in the year. Again, as with the first semi-final, the teams showed how evenly matched the were, as both teams could not be separated until the final few minutes quarter , when the Elite team went on a 10_0 run to take the match 47-35, and reach the Grand Final where they would meet USAF Lakenheath Lightening.
‘B’ Semi Finals
In the first ‘B’ semi-final of the day Richards Elite (Black) were looking to repeat the feat of the (White) team in defeating the New York Court Kings, but the USA team proved to strong running out comprehensive winners 55-36. The second semi final proved a much tougher contest as UK Police Basketball and ‘94ft’ produced an excellent match, which went right to the final buzzer, with ‘94ft’ taking a slender 49-46 victory, where they would face their group opponents from the previous day the New York Court Kings.
‘B’ Playoff Finals
As evidenced on Day 1 of the tournament the New York Court Kings were still smarting from not making the grand ‘A’ final and came flying out of the blocks from the buzzer and proved too strong for ‘94ft’ and ran out winners 50-37, with the scoreline not really reflecting how close the match was until the Kings pulled away in the last couple of minutes of the last quarter to see them travel back to the USA the with the WCBT2025 ‘B’ winner’s trophy.
Grand Final ‘A’ Match
The last match of the day, the ‘A’ Final would see the young and talented Richards Elite (White) face the more experienced USAF Lakenheath Lightening team who were supported by at their colleagues via the live link at their military base in Suffolk. The first few minutes saw the contest saw the Elite team com flying out of the blocks, with strong drives to the basket to open a 10-4 lead. But the Lightening team which is used to competing in military competitions across the world, regained their composure to close the gap and keep Richards Elite in their sights, trailing by 2 points at the half.
The next two quarters would see the two sides trade baskets, as both teams looking to take the WCBT2025 tote for the first time, as the large and vociferous crowd cheered both team on. However, it was the more experienced USAF Lakenheath Lightening team who were able to maintain their composure and make their final baskets, to them run out 49-43 winners in a highly contested and exciting match worthy of the final to become WCBT2025 Champions.
Event Founder Eric Douglin said “ I am really pleased that we were able bring the World Club Basketball Tournament to Canterbury for the first time, and to see so many spectators turn out to watch international basketball in Kent. The weekend of action was excellent, and it was great to have the New York Court Kings return for the 6th time and host their successful youth coaching session for over 40 attendees, who took part in fun drills ,competitions and games. Due to the success of hosting the event in Canterbury, we are considering hosting the event in the city once again in 2026. Although the event would not be possible without our fantastic sponsors including Always Ballin, Heatwave Print, RAD basketball, Moty Media, Web Photography, TGFIT, all of the volunteers and officials, and the Lord Mayor of Canterbury Keji Moses for attending and welcoming the teams”
WORLD CLUB BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT 25 SCHEDULE & STREAM LINK
STREAMING SCHEDULE OVERVIEW
The World Club Basketball Tournament 2025 Schedule , Fixtures & Live Streaming order are available.
Group A:
LABAS 🇱🇹
NEW YORK COURT KINGS 🇺🇸
RICHARDS ELITE 🏴
94ft 🏴
Group
UK POLICE BASKETBALL 🇬🇧
VIESULAS BC 🇱🇹
USAF LAKENHEATH EAGLES 🇺🇸
RICHARDS ELITE BLACK 🏴
All teams will have selected matches streamed live on Saturday & all matches streamed on Sunday
Tickets for spectators link in bio, tickets are also available on the door.
Canterbury Christchurch University Sports Facility
📅 13th-14th September
⏰️ 11am-6pm
🍔 Food Vendors on
GROUP A RESULTS
GROUP B RESULTS
WCBT 2024 RECAP VIDEO
ABOUT THE WORLD CLUB BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT C.I.C
The multi 'Award Winning' World Club Basketball tournament is‘ The UK’s No1 International Basketball Event’ hosted by Bexhill Giants Basketball Club of East Sussex , England, the tournament is open to senior male players from teams across the world, including professional, semi pro or high standard amateurs.
WCBT was founded in 2015 and since then has included players who have competed ay the highest level around the world, including the NBA, NCAA, Euro League , and other professional leagues around the world.
WCBT 2025 will be our 9th consecutive event and will host teams from across the world at the excellent Christchurch Canterbury University Kent, South England.
WCBT2025 will feature teams from countries around the world, including Japan, USA, Lithuania, Poland, Canada & the United Kingdom
There will also be a free children's coaching clinic, music, competitions, giveaways and entertainment over the weekend making WCBT a fun filled activity for all the family at one of the Europe's best basketball events.
Tournament Location & Details
The tournament will be hosted at the Canterbury Christchurch University, Canterbury Kent.
Day One will be played on two courts for each group, Day 2 , will be played on the show court for the playoffs and finals.
The tournament is endorsed by the England governing body Basketball England and is covered by £5 million public liability insurance to cover injuries to Basketball England registered members.
The tournament will be played at the excellent sports facility of Canterbury Christchurch
University, Kent South England. https://www.canterbury.co.uk/
Day One Saturday 13th September will be played on two courts for each group, Day 2 Sunday
14thh September will be played on the show court for the playoffs and finals.
The tournament is endorsed by the countries governing body Basketball England and is
covered by £5 million public liability insurance to cover injuries to Basketball England registered
members.
The city of Canterbury is in the South of England, 60 miles from London Gatwick Airport, 5 and
25 miles from Brighton and approximately 90 minutes by train from London Victoria and London
Bridge train stations. Heathrow airport also has very straightforward train links to Canterbury via
London underground train stations.
There are train links from Gatwick Airport to Canterbury train station with regular taxi services
available virtually 24/7.
Transportation can also be arranged to and from the airport if required by our preferred
supplier. Details of the preferred supplier will follow in future updates.
Hotels and accommodation are located at various locations across Canterbury and should
be organised by the teams however we will be happy to support on request. Recommended
accommodation as follows:
*Most teams have previously booked accommodation using Air B & B’s as they have found
this the best and most cost-effective option. https://www.airbnb.co.uk/canterbury-united-
kingdom/stays
Booking hotels via www.Booking.com is also the best option as there are a number of deals
deals on their website available and rooms can sometimes be cancelled and refunded, with
no issues, as opposed to booking via the hotel directly.
The accommodation arrangements are the responsibility of the teams and the Air BnB hosts,
however the WCBT committee must be made aware of the teams’ final arrangements prior to
the tournament commences.
Where required transportation is available to shuttle teams from their accommodation to the
tournament venue using our preferred supplier for overseas teams.
WCBT 2022 PRESS RELEASE
TOBEN OF CANADA TAKE THE WCBT2022 TITLE
The Summerfields Leisure Centre played host to some excellent basketball action over the weekend of the 3rd& 4th September, when the Bexhill Giants Basketball Club hosted their annual World Club Basketball Tournament & welcomed ten teams to the seaside town of Hastings.
This was the sixth annual WCBT to be held in the town and the first since the covid lockdown of 2019,and was opened the Mayor of Hastings Councilor James Bacon, and the Deputy Mayor, who welcomed the international teams to the town and wished them well during the tournament.
The objective of the tournament was to raise the profile of UK basketball by introducing high calibre teams into a competitive tournament and to promote the sport to new fans.
In addition to raise funds and awareness for the charity partner Kidney Research UK, after the organizer Eric Douglin received a kidney from his wife in 2010, and Colostomy UK, after Douglin had lifesaving surgery after his bowel ruptured in 2021.
The growth of the tournament has seen team from afar as Tobago, Australia, India and New Zealand enquire about competing in the tournament and has attracted media attention globally, including one of the USA’s top media outlets Baller TV.
Competing Teams
The 10 competing teams USAF Lakenheath Eagles (USA), New York Court Kings(USA), Oxford Hoops (Eng), Coventry Tornadoes (Eng) & Viesulas (Lithuania) , were joined by) , Argyle Kings (Eng) & Toben (Canada), Hoop Goon (USA) Ambassy International (Italy) & Whitstable BC (Eng).
The teams were split into two groups of four with the top two teams in each group progressing to the ‘A’ Semi Finals and positions three and four progressing to the ‘B’ Semi Finals. The Groups were randomly selected as follows.
Group A: USAF Lakenheath, New York Court Kings, Oxford Hoops, Viesulas, & Coventry Tornadoes.
Group B: Argyle Kings, Hoop Goon, Whitstable BC, Ambassy International & Toben
After an exciting and tense first day of action, the USAF Lakenheath Eagles & Toben progressed from to the ‘A’ Semi Finals as group winners, both teams with 100% records after 4 matches. They were joined by New York Court Kings & Whitstable in the ‘A’ Semi Finals as runners up in their respective Groups.
The ‘B’ Semi Finals for the 3rd& 4th placed teams in their Groups would be contested by Oxford Hoops, Coventry Tornadoes, Argyle Kings, & Hoop Goon.
The 9th & 10 Playoff match would be competed between Ambassy International & Viesulas, all of the matches were to be played on Day 2 of the tournament.
Before the Day 2 action was underway, the New York Court Kings hosted a youth coaching clinic which was attended by 30 local youngsters, who received the unique experience of being coached by overseas stars.
Then it was onto the action of the ‘B’ Semifinals, which saw an all-England match up with Argyle Kings ‘going on to defeat Coventry Tornadoes, & the second ‘B’ semifinal would see the National League team Oxford Hoops defeat the USA side Hoop Goon, in a close and exciting match up.
The ‘B’ semi final would see another all-England clash with Argyle Kings taking on the impressive Oxford Hoops.
‘A ‘Semi Finals
With the excitement of the day building and the crowd growing, the ‘A’ semi finals lived up to their billing and produced some excellent high calibre basketball, which saw tournament newcomer’s Toben (Canada) defeat two time finalist New York Court Kings, to reach the final.
In the second semi-final USAF Lakenheath, making their 6th appearance at the WCBT showed their undoubted skill and talent against the experienced Whitstable BC, as the exciting match went to overtime, with Lakenheath getting the win 36-33.
The ‘A’ Final would see the two teams with unbeaten 100% records Toben & USAF Lakenheath face off against each other.
‘B’ Final
The Oxford Hoops team, who were using the tournament as preparation for their National League Division 2 campaign and, came into the ‘B’ Final as slight favorites against an Argyle Kings team which were playing to together for the first time. This proved to be the case is an action packed and exciting match, with the Hoops running out comfortable winners 41-24, after a close start, to take the ‘B’ WCBT title.
‘A’ Final
The last match of the day, the ‘A’ Final saw the two teams which finished top of their group with 100% record Toben of Canada & USAF Lakenheath Eagles.
The first few minutes saw the teams exchange baskets, with both teams looking to claim their first WCBT title. However, it was the impressive offensive from the Toben side which included Canadian international players which Lakenheath could not match over the course of the match, which saw the experienced Canadian team run out run out winners 54-42.
WCBT Founder Eric Douglin, said “I was overwhelmed at how well the tournament went and the standard of play the teams brought to the event. It was great to be back for the first time since 2019, after the covid restrictions
All of the teams were of the highest standard and I was privileged to have them take part in the event in the town. Every year the WCBT grows from strength to strength, and we are inundated with teams looking to take part and visit Hastings, bringing tourism and exposure to the town.
Its also great that we can raise funds and awareness for Colostomy UK & Kidney Research UK through sport.
We’d like to thank all of our sponsors, including “ Heatwave Print, Welland Medical, Team Fire Attire, Salts Medical, Shea Luv, Always Ballin & On Point Canada.
